What a KRA PIN is and why you need one
A KRA PIN (Personal Identification Number) is your unique tax identifier with the Kenya Revenue Authority. Individuals and businesses both have one. It is the key to almost everything in Kenyan tax and much of formal economic life: filing returns, registering for VAT and eTIMS, employment, opening bank accounts, registering a business, importing, and many government services.
You register for a PIN once. An individual needs a PIN for employment and for most formal transactions; a business (company, partnership) needs its own PIN separate from the owners'. Registration is free and done online through iTax, which is also accessible via eCitizen.
Getting the PIN is the first step in the compliance chain: PIN, then registering for the right obligations (income tax, and VAT or PAYE if applicable), then eTIMS if you make sales. Everything downstream depends on having an active PIN.
How to register a KRA PIN, step by step
These steps cover individual and business registration on iTax.
- 1
Step 1: Go to iTax
Open itax.kra.go.ke (or reach it through your eCitizen account) and select New PIN Registration on the login page.
- 2
Step 2: Choose taxpayer type
Select Individual (for a person) or Non-Individual (for a company, partnership or other entity). The information required differs.
- 3
Step 3: Enter your details
For an individual: your ID/passport number, names, date of birth and contact details. For a business: registration details, directors/partners (who need their own PINs), and the nature of business.
- 4
Step 4: Select tax obligations
Choose the obligations that apply: income tax for everyone; add VAT if you will exceed the threshold, and PAYE if you will employ staff.
- 5
Step 5: Submit and receive your PIN
Submit the application. iTax issues your PIN and a PIN certificate you can download. Keep the certificate safe.
- 6
Step 6: Set your password and next steps
Set your iTax password so you can log in to file. If you will make sales, register for eTIMS next; if you have staff, set up PAYE.
KRA PIN registration mistakes
Registering the wrong taxpayer type
A business needs a Non-Individual PIN separate from the owners' individual PINs. Registering a company under an individual type causes problems later.
Directors without PINs
A company registration requires its directors/partners to have their own individual PINs first. Sort those before registering the company.
Selecting wrong obligations
Adding VAT when you are well below the threshold, or omitting PAYE when you will employ staff, creates filing obligations or gaps. Choose obligations that match your plans.
Wrong contact details
Your email and phone on the PIN are used for iTax resets and KRA communication. Get them right so you are not locked out later.
Losing the PIN certificate
Keep your PIN certificate; you will be asked for it when opening accounts, registering for eTIMS, and in many transactions.
A new business owner sets up the compliance chain
A new business owner in Nairobi needed to formalise. He first confirmed he had his own individual KRA PIN, then registered a Non-Individual PIN for his company through iTax, selecting income tax and, because he planned to exceed the VAT threshold, VAT.
With the company PIN in hand, he registered for eTIMS so his sales would issue compliant invoices, and set up PAYE because he was hiring.
Because he followed the chain, PIN, obligations, eTIMS, PAYE, in order, his business was compliant from the start, and his first filings were straightforward.
Trading without eTIMS-compliant tax invoices risks KRA penalties, blocked VAT input claims for your customers, and receipts a business buyer cannot expense.
Veira signs every sale to KRA eTIMS automatically, so each receipt is compliant the moment it prints, with no separate device to reconcile.
What comes after the PIN
A KRA PIN is the first step; the next, if you make sales, is eTIMS. You need a PIN before eTIMS, and Veira guides you through eTIMS setup once your PIN is active, then issues compliant invoices on every sale automatically.
So the chain is simple: register your PIN, then let Veira handle eTIMS and keep your VAT and payroll figures ready for filing, from KES 2,999 a month. Compliance, from your first PIN to your first return, becomes a guided path.
Frequently asked questions
How do I register for a KRA PIN in Kenya?
What do I need to register a KRA PIN?
Is a KRA PIN free?
Do I need a KRA PIN before eTIMS?
Does a business need its own PIN?
What do I do after getting my PIN?
A KRA PIN is the foundation of compliance, free, online, and required before eTIMS, VAT and much else. Register it, then let Veira handle the next step, eTIMS on every sale, and keep your figures ready for filing, from KES 2,999 a month. Book a free demo once your PIN is active.